


Starry Starry Night

by ladynerdynerd (sparrowsword)



Series: This Unbreakable Bond [2]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Bed-Wetting, Childhood Trauma, Comfort, Family, Father Figures, Father-Son Relationship, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kid Fic, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Parent Yondu Udonta, Parent-Child Relationship, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Young Peter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-08 01:50:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11636442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparrowsword/pseuds/ladynerdynerd
Summary: Sometimes you gotta take a step back to take two steps forward.





	Starry Starry Night

**Author's Note:**

> This is just me satisfying my relentless need for fluff and feels! Please excuse any errors, I am not the best proof reader as I end up feeling slightly cross eyed whenever I do it.

‘’Cap’n?’’ 

‘’Whaddya’ want, Oblo?’’ 

Yondu turned to see the younger man run a gloved hand somewhat awkwardly through his tatty hair before he spoke again. ‘’I’ve been on laundry duty this past week an’…well…somethin’ weird’s been goin’ on.’’ 

Kraglin, who was draped casually in the co-pilot seat, straightened up and shifted to look at Oblo just as Yondu fully turned to face the man. Both Captain and First Mate regarded him with sceptical curiosity. Oblo cleared his throat gruffly under their scrutiny. 

‘’The amount of loads I’ve been doin’ are twice for what’s normal,’’ he explained. ‘’Usually I’ll get through four or five loads a day of leathers dependin’ on the grime, and then there’s all the sheets an’ such like-‘’ 

‘’Get to the point, Oblo.’’ Yondu growled impatiently. 

Oblo nodded. ‘’Well, I’ve been washin’ more sheets than anythin’ else an’ there’s been other washes bein’ done besides my own…an’ then plenty of the clean beddin’ from the storage holds has been goin’ missin’ too.’’ 

Kraglin sniggered. ‘’So whatcha’ sayin’ is that we got us a phantom laundry thief?’’ 

Oblo’s skin grew flush and he glowered at the other man. ‘’I’m just tellin’ you how it is!’’ 

‘’An’ you haven’t seen anyone else messin’ around in there?’’ Yondu asked, not willing to give any patience to a battle of sarcastic sniping between the two men. 

‘’No, sir.’’ Oblo shook his head. ‘’Only noticed somethin’s been goin’ on when I go down there for my shift in the mornin’.’’ 

Yondu frowned. An increase in the amount of laundry wasn’t necessarily anything unusual, but another crew member willingly doing laundry when it wasn’t their shift? Thanos himself was more likely to sing one of Quill’s d’ast songs from the Elector’s roof than a Ravager do something without some sort of boon. As for the bedding going missing… 

‘’Leave it with me.’’ Yondu said after a moment, moving to drape himself in his chair. 

‘’Captain?’’ 

Yondu grinned as he ran a hand fondly over the trinkets that adorned the console. ‘’I’ll catch our little laundry fairy.’’ 

****** 

Though he knew every single nook and cranny of the Elector and could navigate the entire space with his eyes shut, even Yondu couldn’t deny that there was something rather eerie about the ship during the night shift. With a skeleton crew running only the most essential of operations, the hustle and bustle of the walkways were replaced with the soft and erratic groans of the engines and the communal areas were filled with the low humming of the pipe systems instead of the rowdy shouts of the crew. 

The quiet atmosphere also lent power to any out of the ordinary sound, magnifying the volume of any voice or movement that may grace the air, such as the timid but hurried footsteps that were currently making their way towards the dark corner in which Yondu stood. 

A small figure came into view and Yondu smirked triumphantly as his suspicions were confirmed. He’d checked the boy’s room not long ago and, upon finding it empty, had decided to lie in wait, determined to find out just what the hell the kid was up to. 

The Centaurian remained silent and still as he watched Peter scurry along, a bundle of sheets clutched in his arms. His bare feet slapped heavily across the floor and drew Yondu’s attention to the fact that the pyjama pants that the boy was wearing were way too short, if the amount of ankle that was on display was anything to go by. 

Considering the amount of units he’d blown on kitting the boy out with new clothes less than a month ago, Yondu was both surprised and annoyed at the sight. The boy couldn’t have grown that much in the space of a few weeks; he still only came up to just past Yondu’s elbow. 

Now equally curious and pissed, Yondu waited for the boy to enter his room before darting forward like a shadow, placing his foot at the entrance of the room to prevent the door from closing. The boy was so engrossed in whatever it was that he was doing that he didn’t even notice that the door had failed to close behind him. 

Yondu watched with a frown as the boy began to frantically yank a sheet over his grubby mattress, grappling with one corner which caused him to let out a shaky breath of frustration. As the boy struggled, Yondu’s eyes moved to the pile of tangled sheets that sat upon the floor at the foot of the bed. 

_Why the hell…_

There was a strange smell in the room that he couldn’t quite identify and he looked around for the source. 

Then he noticed the crumpled pyjamas that lay beside the sheets and even in the dim light of the room he could tell that they were wet. 

_What the fu-Oh…_

So that’s what it was. 

Something foreign and heavy settled within Yondu’s chest and he clenched his fists at the sensation. A small gasp met his ears and he quickly lifted his gaze to find Peter staring at him with wide eyes, the sheet still clutched tightly in his hands which had begun to shake. Whether they shook from fear or embarrassment, Yondu didn’t know, but the sight only made the feeling in his chest even heavier. 

‘’S’okay, boy,’’ Yondu said after a moment, his raspy voice making Peter jump. 

‘’I…I…’’ Peter stuttered, seemingly unsure of what to say. 

Yondu moved into the room and came to stand by the bed. Wordlessly, he held out a hand to Peter who merely stared at it in response. Sighing internally, Yondu reached out and, with as much gentleness as he was capable of, plucked the sheet out of the boy’s hands and quickly set about fixing it securely to the mattress. He made speedy work of reassembling the rest of the bed before making himself at home and perching upon the edge of it. Peter stood in exactly the same place, hands poised as though still holding the sheet and regarded him nervously. 

‘’Why didn’t you come to me ‘bout this, Quill?’’ Yondu asked, schooling his voice to sound as calm as possible; last thing he needed was to wind up reducing the boy to a blubbering mess. 

Peter looked down at the floor, hands moving to twist anxiously together as he mumbled something. 

‘’Speak up, boy.’’ 

‘’…Didn’t want to make you mad.’’ Peter whispered, still staring at the floor. 

The feeling in his chest morphed into a nagging ache and something about Peter’s words made it twist painfully. 

‘’Why would I be mad?’’ he asked, jerking his head at the soiled sheets and clothing. ‘’They’re accidents, Quill. Ain’t like you’re doin’ it on purpose.’’ 

Again, he was met with silence. 

Leaning back slightly, Yondu studied the boy carefully. Clad in a pair of sleeping clothes that were clearly old ones that he had dug out from somewhere, no doubt having run out of any that properly fitted, Yondu was reminded of just how young the boy really was. He wasn’t quite nine Terran years old yet and while Yondu had no deep understanding of children of any species, even he knew that bedwetting at Peter’s age was unusual. 

However, that didn’t bother him half as much as Peter being too afraid to tell him that it had been happening in the first place. 

‘’Boy,’’ he said, using something closer to his ‘Captain’ voice, ‘’why d’ya think I’d be mad?’’ 

Shining green eyes met his gaze and even through the haze of tears, Yondu could see the lack of trust within them. Plenty of people didn’t trust him, and with good reason; he was a Ravager, his entire livelihood was built upon doing untrustworthy things, but it still disturbed him to see that look in Peter’s eyes. 

‘’Horuz saw me the other night and told me that you’d punish me if you found out I was wetting the bed… like a baby.’’ Peter finally murmured, his cheeks turning a furious shade of red as he spoke the last few words. 

‘’For starters, this ain’t somethin’ you need punishin’ for,’’ Yondu said, eyes narrowing with confusion. ‘’But I’ve punished you before, boy, an’ you ain’t never got this worked up over bein’ made to go without your music player or cleanin’ out the showers.’’ 

Peter shook his head. ‘’Horuz said it would be worse.’’ 

Yondu barely had time to register the fury that begun to immediately simmer at Peter’s revelation before the boy suddenly burst into tears. He made to move away from Yondu but, to both of their surprise, the Captain reached out and pulled the boy closer until he was somewhat leaning against Yondu’s right side. 

‘’Please don’t leave me behind when we dock somewhere,’’ Peter gasped through his tears, curling his fingers into the worn leather of Yondu’s coat. ‘’Please…I-I’ll try and stop, an-and I’ll save up and buy new sheets and-‘’ 

Yondu’s stomach turned as he heard the genuine fear in the boy’s voice. 

‘’Quill-Qu-Peter!’’ Yondu said loudly, manoeuvring his arm from where it was pressed between his side and Peter’s heaving chest to loop it clumsily over the boy’s shoulders. ‘’I ain’t gonna leave you anywhere.’’ 

The boy continued to cry but turned into the loose hold Yondu had on him, pressing his wet face against Yondu’s shoulder and there, _right there_ , was the trust that the boy had for him; the trust that Yondu had come to value more than he ever expected to. 

The hard-earned trust that Horuz had almost singlehandedly destroyed with nothing but a few words and a cruel desire to play upon a child’s insecurities. 

The tension in Yondu’s chest merged with the anger to form such a feeling of intense… _something_ that he felt breathless. His grip on the boy grew tighter until he could no longer deny that he was actually hugging him and damn it if it didn’t feel like the right thing to do. 

‘’You listen here, boy,’’ he growled. ‘’I don’t care what that jackass said, I’m tellin’ you now that it’s a bunch of bullshit, y’hear me?’’ 

Soft curls of hair tickled his chin as Peter nodded against his shoulder. Not fully satisfied, Yondu pushed the boy back far enough for his face to come into view. It wasn’t a pretty sight; tears stained his flushed cheeks and wet lips wobbled from holding back the sobs. 

‘It's bullshit,’’ He said again fiercely, giving the boy a little shake for emphasis. 

Peter nodded again, raising an arm to nosily wipe his nose on the short sleeve. With a satisfied grunt, Yondu stood up and set about gathering up the soiled sheets and pyjamas, hoping that doing so would help the boy to feel less embarrassed about the whole thing…plus he quite liked the idea of hauling them in Horuz’s face the next time he saw the man. 

‘’It’s been nearly a year since my mom died.’’ 

Yondu paused in his actions and straightened up to look at Peter. Once again, he was struck by how young he looked, by how young he _was_. 

If Yondu was some kind of simpleton, he’d be convinced that the ridiculous and unrelenting weight in his chest was the start of a heart attack. As it fluttered to life once more at the sight of the boy looking so goddamn small, he knew full well what it was. 

Sentiment never did suit him, hence why it felt like somebody was doing a flat-footed tap dance on his chest. 

‘’I heard you and Kraglin talking the other day,’’ Peter continued. ‘’Kraglin said that he couldn’t believe I’d almost been on board for a whole Terran year…’’ He took a deep wobbly breath as fresh tears appeared in his eyes, ‘’which means my mom’s been dead for nearly a year.’’ 

The boy was right; it had almost been a year since his momma had died, which meant that he’d been onboard the ship for almost a year, which meant that Yondu had managed to keep him out of his maniac father’s clutches for nearly a whole year. The Ravager captain could scarcely believe it himself and had said so to Kraglin, smirking when the younger man had said that he couldn’t really picture the ship without Quill. 

‘’Been botherin’ you lately, has it?’’ Yondu flinched immediately at the stupidity of his question. 

Peter didn’t seem to think it was stupid because he merely nodded sadly. ‘’Been having nightmares…about that night.’’ 

_Well, that explains the bedwettin’…_

Bundling up the damp sheets under one arm, Yondu jerked his head at the fresh blanket that was spread out on the bed. ‘’Grab that an’ follow me, kid.’’ 

****** 

It took Yondu all of ten seconds to clear the bridge; luckily, it was only Oblo and Tullk there and they both gave Peter’s hair a ruffle as they left, yawning and grousing good naturedly as they went. Peter, wearing his blanket like a ridiculously long cape, shivered a little and pulled it further around his shoulders. The ship was always chillier during the night shift somehow, even though space was still space and therefore still cold, regardless of the cycle of time. 

‘’C’mon up here, boy.’’ 

Peter moved to stand just behind Yondu; the Centaurian had his back to him as he gazed out through the large observation window. 

‘’Y’see all them stars out there?’’ 

Peter blinked, confused by the question. ‘’Yeah?’’ 

‘’ I reckon your momma knew you was always meant to be out here among ‘em all…’’ 

He turned his head for a moment to look at Peter from the corner of his eye. ‘’But that don’t mean you’re ever gonna get left on a single one of ‘em.’’ 

Something tentative yet warm bloomed to life in Peter’s chest. Slowly, he moved to stand beside Yondu, peering shyly up at the Centaurian. Red eyes turned their attention from the stars onto him after a moment and studied him carefully. The warm feeling blazed even hotter as Yondu’s lips quirked in a small but undeniable smile before his attention returned to the window. Peter shuffled a bit closer and timidly reached out to curl his fingers around Yondu’s blue hand. He felt the alien jerk slightly in surprise and he cringed, refusing to look anywhere but at the floor as he waited for the inevitable rejection. 

It never came. 

Instead, Yondu merely coughed once and tucked Peter’s hand further into his own with a soft squeeze and resumed his perusal of the dark skies. Peter stared at him in wide-eyed wonder for a moment before a grin, bursting with delight and something like relief and _trust_ , appeared on his freckled face. 

****** 

The bedwetting lasted for two more weeks, just past Peter’s ninth birthday, before stopping completely. By complete coincidence, or that’s how the story went at least, Peter witnessed the rather brutal punishment Yondu bestowed on Horuz; the man was strung up through his left ear by Yondu’s arrow for two days straight with no explanation given, except for a terrifyingly murderous glare from the Captain, and it was this that helped Peter stop wetting the bed. 

At least, that’s what Yondu told himself when really, he knew that it was just something the boy had to work through by himself. 

And if a couple of sleepless nights sat on the bridge, watching the stars with a small Terran curled up in his lap, soothed to sleep by a blue hand trailing softly through his hair and some fanciful stories about a brave hero called Star-Lord played a part in helping him do that, then Yondu was glad to help.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope that wasn't too cheesey or OOC or anything. I know Peter's a scrappy little thing but he's still just a little boy; I work with primary aged children and it sometimes really strikes me just how little and young they are, especially kids that are the same age as Peter is when he gets picked up, so I wanted to do something to show that. I think after a year of almost being on board the ship, Peter wouldn't be scared of Yondu anymore, and Yondu would have started to actually care about Peter more than he wants to admit, hence why it's a big deal for Yondu to feel unhappy about the fact that Peter doesn't trust him. Peter's still really hurting over Meredith dying and is still just a little boy who, like all kids, needs reassurance and comfort every now and then. Yondu, though a grumpy space pirate, is the primary source of that comfort, which I imagine is something that surprises both of them! 
> 
> I love fics that explore the relationship between Yondu and Peter when Peter was still a boy so I've got some ideas I'll hopefully get round to adding to this, if people like this one obviously! Thanks for reading!


End file.
